believe it or not

Idioms  

1. It's true, whether or not you agree, as in Believe it or not, I finally finished painting the house. Originating in the 1800s, this phrase gained currency as the title of a cartoon series begun in 1918 by Robert Ripley and continuing to run in American newspapers long after his death in 1949. Each drawing presented a strange but supposedly true phenomenon, such as a two-headed chicken.

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Example Sentences

Whether you believe it or not, the lake will form!

From Literature

Here’s the best news of the day, and about immigration believe it or not: On Wednesday a judge granted asylum to Guan Heng, the Chinese man who risked his life to expose the Communist Party’s human-rights abuses.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Believe it or not, you can also use tonic water because it has quinine,” he continues.

From Salon

But those implausible sci-fi scenarios, believe it or not, are nowhere near the worst-case possibilities.

From Salon

Another benefit to Uber is that Tesla and Alphabet don’t have unlimited money to spend, believe it or not.

From Barron's